Golfer s head restrainer

ABSTRACT

A golfer&#39;&#39;s head restrainer which includes a collar portion for engirdling a golfer&#39;&#39;s neck, and an upstanding portion extending from the collar portion and up to the back of the golfer&#39;&#39;s head to restrain the golfer&#39;&#39;s head in a forward tilted position. The collar portion has straps and a fastener which permits releasable fastening around the golfer&#39;&#39;s neck, and the upstanding portion at the back of the golfer&#39;&#39;s head is a metal plate, and a leather or like covering encloses the plate and forms the collar straps. Integrally formed with the lower end of the rigid upstanding metal plate is a rigid metal arcuate portion which engirdles the back of the golfers neck in the plane of the collar portion, whereby the restrainer is rigid throughout its rearward half.

United States Patent 51 Jan. 30, 1973 Presta 1541 GOLFERS HEAD RESTRAINER {76] inventor: Gabriel E. Presta, 2714 N. Main St.,

Racine, Wis. 53402 [22] Filed: May 22,1972

[21] Appl. No.: 255,595

[52] 11.5. CI. ..273/l90 R, 128/76 R [51] Int. Cl. ..A63b 69/36 [58] Field of Search ..273/190, 183; 272/80;

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,791,999 5/1957 Bustamante ..272/80 X 3,346,257 10/1967 Whitney ..273/l90 R X 3,442,513 5/1969 "Fisher ..273/190 R X 3,455,300 7/1969 Hayner ..128/76 R Primary Examiner-George .l. Marlo Attorney-Arthur J. Hansmann [57] ABSTRACT A golfers head restrainer which includes a collar portion for engirdling a golfers neck, and an upstanding portion extending from the collar portion and up to the back of the golfers head to restrain the golfers head in a forward tilted position. The collar portion has straps and a fastener which permits releasable fastening around the golfer's neck, and the upstanding portion at the back of the golfers head is a metal plate, and a leather or like covering encloses the plate and forms the collar straps. lntegrally formed with the lower end of the rigid upstanding metal plate is a rigid metal arcuate portion which engirdles the back of the golfers neck in the plane of the collar portion,

whereby the restrainer is rigid throughout its rearward half.

12 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures GOLFER'S HEAD RESTRAINER This invention relates to a golfers head restrainer, and, more particularly, it relates to a device which restrains the golfers head in a forward tilted position so that the golfer cannot lift his head while swinging the golf club.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Devices or restrainers for golf training and/or for restraining the golfer from lifting his head while swinging, are commonly known in the prior art. Examples of such devices are shown in U. S. Pat. Nos. 3,059,932 and 3,346,257; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,5l0,135. Other devices, even more cumbersome and elaborate than those shown in the aforesaid three patents, are also known for the purpose of holding the golfers head in a forward tilted position while he swings the golf club. These prior art devices are quite impractical in that they commonly attach to parts of the body other than the neck and head, and they therefore annoy and impede the golfer in making his golf swing. Additionally, it is quite impractical to expect a golfer to employ these prior art devices during the actual playing of golf, as contrasted to the practice of swinging. Many of the prior art devices are intended only for use in the practice of swinging, and they are not portable, wearable, or sufficiently practical for use during regular golf play.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of this invention to provide a golfers head restrainer which is provided in recognition of the aforementioned problems and shortcomings of the prior art devices, and which overcome these problems and provide a restrainer which improves upon the prior art devices and holds the golfers head in a forward tilted position while he is making his golf swing.

More specifically, it is an object of this invention to provide a golfers head restrainer which is practical for use during regular play of golf, and such practicality is based upon the fact that the restrainer of this invention is easily portable and wearable in that it is lightweight and it is also inexpensive and it is comfortable to wear, and it is also arranged so that it engages only the neck and head of the golfer and does not connect to other parts of the body to impede normal movement of the remainder of the body. Accordingly, the restrainer of this invention can be carrier and/or worn on the golf course, and the user can readily and easily put on and take off the restrainer in a matter of a very few seconds, according to his momentary desires and suitable with the particular golf swing that he is contemplating at the moment.

Other objects and advantages of this invention include the provision of a golfers head restrainer which is easily manufactured, inexpensive, lightweight for the purpose of wearing and carrying, and which is adjustable for fitting to different sizes of golfers necks, and the device is relatively inconspicuous and therefore does not cause the golfer to hesitate wearing the device because of self-consiousness while on the golf course.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent upon reading the following description in light of the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a rear perspective view of a restrainer of this invention shown being worn by a golfer.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan view of the restrainer shown in FIG. 1, and with the solid line showing the restrainer in the unattached position and with dot-dash lines showing it in the attached position.

FIG. 3 is a rear elevational view of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a rear elevational view of one piece shown in dotted lines in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A golfers head 10 is shown in FIG. 1 to be in a forward tilted position, and the golfer is wearing the restrainer ll of this invention. The restrainer 11 has a collar portion, generally designated 12 and extending around the golfers neck, and it has an upstanding portion, generally designated 13. Therefore, the restrainer l1 engirdles the golfers neck and is releasably attached thereto, and the restrainer positions and holds the golfers head in a forward tilted position so that the golfer is looking directly at a golf ball on the ground in front of the golfer in the normal position for hitting the ball, and the restrainer l1 restrains the golfer from being able to lift his head to the upright position, of course particularly while the golfer is executing the swing. That is, it is desired that a golfer retain his head in a forward tilted position throughout the action of swinging .the club, during the back swing of the club, the moment of impact of the club on the ball, and also during the follow-thru of the swing. The restrainer 11 of this invention has been found to retain the golfers head in the desired forward tilted position throughout the swinging action mentioned.

The collar portion 12 is shown in FIG. 2 to include the forwardly disposed strap portions 14 and 16 which terminate in snap fastener parts 17 and 18. The straps l4 and 16 can be positioned into the arcuate positions shown by the dot-dash lines designated 14 and 16, and the fastener pieces 17 and 18, being of a conventional button type of snap fastener, can inter-engage by forcing them together in the usual manner, and thus the otherwise free ends of the straps l4 and 16 are held connected together and at the front of the golfers neck. Thus, FIG. 2 shows the collar portion 11 to include the strap ends 14 and 16 and the arcuate portion 19 which is a continuation of the straps l4 and 16 and which is intermediate the straps l4 and 16 and is semicircularly shaped, as seen in FIGS. 1 and 2. The collar portion 12 is therefore flexible in the direction toward and away from the golfers neck, but it is firm and rigid in the direction along the golfers neck, and such condition is achieved by the shape of the collar 12 which is flat in its height parallel to and along the length of the golfers neck but which is thin in the dimension seen in FIG. 2 or transverse to the golfers neck so that it can flex in that transverse direction. I

The restrainer upstanding portion 13 is shown to extend integrally from the collar portion 12, and the collar portion 12 is actually of a greater height at the location designated 21 in FIG. 3, and that is the portion of the collar 12 which is immediately adjacent the upstanding portion 13. FIG. 3 also shows that the upstanding portion 13 is arcuate or circularly shaped, and

the upper extent designated 22 engages the base 23 of the golfers head skull. Therefore, the restrainer extends from the base or bottom of the golfers neck up to the base of the golfers head skull, and the restrainer provides a rigid device through this extent, such that the golfer cannot raise his head since this rear portion of the restrainer is abutting the golfers neck and head to hold the head in the forward tilted position, as desired.

The upstanding portion 13 obtains its rigid characteristic by virtue of a reinforcing piece 24 shown in FIGS. 4, 5, and 6, and shown in dotted lines in FIG. 3. The piece 24 may be made of a metal, and it is therefore stiff and rigid in the plane of the piece itself, as seen in the plane of the piece extending parallel to the plane of the paper as shown in H6. 4, and the piece 24 has the arcuate or semi-circular collar extent 26 and it has the upstanding circular section 27, and of course the sections 26 and 27 are integral. FIG. 2 shows that the section 27 is planar, and it is actually encased or covered by a leather or plastic similarly planar section 28 seen in FIG. 2, and this section 28 likewise extends from the collar portion 12 to be integral therewith as it extends upwardly through the upstanding portion 13.

Therefore, it will be noticed that the restrainer 11 has the reinforced forcing piece 24, and it is shown to have a cover formed by the outer leather piece 29 and the inner leather piece 31 which are shown to be stitched together, and these pieces 29 and 31 may be of a plastic material also. Thus, FIG. 6 shows the cover pieces 29 and 31 enclosing the reinforcing section 26, and thread stitching 32 is also shown.

The restrainer is rigid through its rearward half, or the back one-half which engirdles the golfer's neck, and that would be up to the edge designated 33 in FIG. 1, which is the edge of the reinforcing piece 24. However, the metal 24 is flexible in response to a sufficient force transverse to the plane of the metal itself and through the section 26 of the metal, so that the back half of the collar portion 12 can actually be adjusted to fit different sizes of golfers necks. Also, the collar portion 12 through the straps l4 and 16 is of course adjustable since these straps are clear of and extend beyond the ends 33 of the reinforcing piece 24. Therefore, the restrainer 11 is rigidin the direction along the length of the golfers neck, and such rigidity is carried through even the strap portions 14 and 16 when they are fastened together, but the restrainer is flexible in the collar portion 12 in the direction transverse to the golfer's neck, and such limited flexibility is for the purpose of adjusting the collar and for attaching and removing it. That is, the collar section 26 is a rigid reinforcing piece up to a limit resistance such that the piece 26 can be adjusted by making the semi-circular shape thereof either larger or smaller by bending it either away from or toward the golfer's neck. However, without sufficient bending force, the reinforcing piece 24 is a rigid piece, at least in the plane parallel to the length of the golfers neck, so that the golfer cannot uprightly position his head from the forward tilted position established by the restrainer described.

What is claimed is:

1. A golfers head restrainer comprising a collar portion for engirdling a golfer's neck, and an upstanding portion on said collar portion extending ugwardly from said collar portion at t e back thereof 0 e behind the golfers neck and head and extending to engage the golfers head at the base of the back of the golfers skull to restrain the golfers head in a forward tilted position.

2. The golfers head restrainer as claimed in claim 1, wherein said upstanding portion is a rigid portion to resist flexing under the force of the golfers head being urged to an upright position.

3. The golfers head restrainer as claimed in claim 2, wherein said collar portion is flexible transverse to the gofers neck for fitting around the golfer's neck.

4. The golfers head restrainer as claimed in claim 1, including a releasing and securing structure on said collar portion for attaching and removing said restrainer relative to the golfers neck. 7

5. The golfers head restrainer as claimed in claim 1, wherein said collar portion and said upstanding portion form a continuous rigid construction and extend from the base of the golfers neck, at the back thereof, upwardly to the base of the back of the golfers skull.

6. The golfers head restrainer as claimed in claim 1, wherein said upstanding portion is a rigid metal piece, and said restrainer includes a cover extending over said metal piece and therefrom to present said collar portion.

7. The golfers head restrainer as claimed in claim 6, wherein said metal piece extends to both sides of said upstanding portion and along said collar portion to form a part of said collar portion and thereby retain said upstanding portion in its said position of restraining the golfers head.

8. The golfers head restrainer as claimed in claim 1, wherein said collar portion is rigid in the upright direction along the length of the golfer's neck while being flexible in the plane transverse to the length of the golfers neck, for resisting forces acting on said collar portion and tending to overcome the upright rigidity of said collar portion on the golfer's neck.

9. The golfers head restrainer as claimed in claim 1, wherein said upstanding portion is a rigid portion, and said collar portion adjacent said upstanding portion is a rigid portion, and said collar portion extending at the front of the golfers neck is flexible and includes a fastener for releasably attaching the restrainer to the golfers neck.

10. The golfers head restrainer as claimed in claim 9, wherein said collar portion adjacent said upstanding portion is arcuately shaped and circularly extends along the back one-half of the golfers neck.

11. The golfer's hea'd restrainer as claimed in claim 10, wherein said collar portion adjacent said upstanding portion is rigid only to a limited resistance beyond which it is flexible in the direction transverse to the length of the golfers neck to be capable of bending to and then retaining selectable arcuate curvatures for fitting to the curvature of a golfers neck.

12. The golfers head restrainer as claimed in claim 11, wherein said upstanding portion and said collar portion adjacent said upstanding portion are one piece and of a metal material.

i I III 1 i 

1. A golfer''s head restrainer comprising a collar portion for engirdling a golfer''s neck, and an upstanding portion on said collar portion extending upwardly from said collar portion at the back thereof to be behind the golfer''s neck and head and extending to engage the golfer''s head at the base of the back of the golfer''s skull to restrain the golfer''s head in a forward tilted position.
 1. A golfer''s head restrainer comprising a collar portion for engirdling a golfer''s neck, and an upstanding portion on said collar portion extending upwardly from said collar portion at the back thereof to be behind the golfer''s neck and head and extending to engage the golfer''s head at the base of the back of the golfer''s skull to restrain the golfer''s head in a forward tilted position.
 2. The golfer''s head restrainer as claimed in claim 1, wherein said upstanding portion is a rigid portion to resist flexing under the force of the golfer''s head being urged to an upright position.
 3. The golfer''s head restrainer as claimed in claim 2, wherein said collar portion is flexible transverse to the go fer''s neck foR fitting around the golfer''s neck.
 4. The golfer''s head restrainer as claimed in claim 1, including a releasing and securing structure on said collar portion for attaching and removing said restrainer relative to the golfer''s neck.
 5. The golfer''s head restrainer as claimed in claim 1, wherein said collar portion and said upstanding portion form a continuous rigid construction and extend from the base of the golfer''s neck, at the back thereof, upwardly to the base of the back of the golfer''s skull.
 6. The golfer''s head restrainer as claimed in claim 1, wherein said upstanding portion is a rigid metal piece, and said restrainer includes a cover extending over said metal piece and therefrom to present said collar portion.
 7. The golfer''s head restrainer as claimed in claim 6, wherein said metal piece extends to both sides of said upstanding portion and along said collar portion to form a part of said collar portion and thereby retain said upstanding portion in its said position of restraining the golfer''s head.
 8. The golfer''s head restrainer as claimed in claim 1, wherein said collar portion is rigid in the upright direction along the length of the golfer''s neck while being flexible in the plane transverse to the length of the golfer''s neck, for resisting forces acting on said collar portion and tending to overcome the upright rigidity of said collar portion on the golfer''s neck.
 9. The golfer''s head restrainer as claimed in claim 1, wherein said upstanding portion is a rigid portion, and said collar portion adjacent said upstanding portion is a rigid portion, and said collar portion extending at the front of the golfer''s neck is flexible and includes a fastener for releasably attaching the restrainer to the golfer''s neck.
 10. The golfer''s head restrainer as claimed in claim 9, wherein said collar portion adjacent said upstanding portion is arcuately shaped and circularly extends along the back one-half of the golfer''s neck.
 11. The golfer''s head restrainer as claimed in claim 10, wherein said collar portion adjacent said upstanding portion is rigid only to a limited resistance beyond which it is flexible in the direction transverse to the length of the golfer''s neck to be capable of bending to and then retaining selectable arcuate curvatures for fitting to the curvature of a golfer''s neck. 